Lint accumulator means for a dryer



June 6, 1967 R. c. LOUGH ETAL LINT ACCUMULATOR MEANS FOR A DRYER :2sheets-sheet Filed June 8, 1964 WMM/gum www llllllo lll lllll lvl June6, 1967 Filed June 8, 1964 R. C. LOUGH ETAL.

LINT ACCUMULATOR MEANS FOR A DRYER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /2 INVENTORSzcza/Q/C' )Coag A TT( )RNE YS United States Patent O 3,323,224 LINTACCUMULATOR MEANS FOR A DRYER Richard C. Lough, St. Joseph, and 'GordonJ. Krolzick,

Benton Harbor, Mich., assignors to Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor,Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 8, 1964, Ser. No. 373,168Claims. (Cl. 34-82) Vair circulation or by creating a lire hazard. Somedryers `have 'been equipped with alarm systems to warn the operator thatso much lint had been collected in the lint accumulator that a cleaningwas necessary. The operator would then remove the lint accumulator,withdraw as much of the packed lint as possible, and then replace thefilter or collection receptacle into the machine.

In accordance with the present invention an improved lint accumulatorpositioned in a filter cavity extending over the entire top portion ofthe machine provides substantially larger capacity than exists inraccumulators presently available, so that increased amounts of lint maybe safely accumulated over long periods without adversely affecting theperformance of the dryer. Furthermore, the lint accumulator ispositioned where it is readily accessible from the top of the cabinet,instead of requiring the operator to reach into the treatment zone orthe dryer drum for the purpose of cleaning the lint filter.

An object of the present invention is to provide an irnproved lintaccumulator means for clothes dryers having substantially greatercapacity than presently employed devices used for the same purpose.

Still .another object of the invention is to provide an improved lintaccumulator in which the lint is collected in a reusable or disposablebag of substantial capacity.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a lint accumulatormeans which is readily accessible from the front of the dryer cabinetfor ease of removal and replacement.

'I`he dryer assembly of the present invention includes a cabinet and adryer drum supported for rotation Within the cabinet. An imperforatehousing is situated in the cabinet in a position in which it provides anairtight lint accumulation cavity extending substantially across theentire top portion of the machine. An air-pervious lint separator bag ispositioned in the cavity to separate lint from an air-stream directedthrough the cavity and cooperates with a cover hingedly seciired to thecabinet to provide 4an eicient seal between the housing and the coverwhen the cover is closed. An inlet duct is provided in the lintaccumulation cavity to direct a lint laden air- -stream into the bag,the pores of the bag walls being sufficiently small to permit airpassage therethrough but retaining even small particles of lint that arecarried in the airstream. An exhaust means is also provided in the lintaccumulator cavity for directing lint-free air which has been filteredby the lint separator and accumulator bag out of the cavity.

A further description of the present invention will be made inconjunction with the attached sheets of drawings which illustrate apreferred embodiment.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a back view in elevation, partly broken away to illustratethe interior structure;

3,323,224 Patented June 6, 1967 FIGURE 2 is a view in perspective and.somewhat diagrammatic illustrating the manner .in which the heated `aircirculates through the dryer compartment and then through the lintaccumulator cavity;

FIGURE 3 is a view of the cabinet with the access door to the lintaccumulator cavity opened illustrating the manner in which the aircirculates through the lint accumulator cavity; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View taken substantially alongline IV-IV of FIGURE 3, with the cover closed.

As shown on the drawings:

In FIGURE l, reference numeral 10 indicates generally a cabinet for ahousehold type dryer, the cabinet 10 including a clothes treatment drum11 rotatably supported by hub means 20 on rear bulkhead 19 and driven bymeans of a belt 12 from a motor 13 located at the base of the cabinet10. Reinforcement ribs 35 provide -stilfening means to rear bulkhead 19in order to give a fiat sealing surface for the rear peripheral edge ofthe drum 11. Access to the interior of the clothes treatment drum 11through opening 6 is provided by means of a horizontally hinged accessdoor 16 (FIGURE 3).

An imperforate housing 17 having sidewalls 17a, front and rear Walls 17band a crown portion 18 spaced from the periphery of the drum 11 isysuspended from top flanges of the vertical front and sidewalls 1S bythe lianges 25 of the housing 17 to provide an enclosed lint accumulatorcavity 21.

As best illustrated in FIGURE 2, outside air is drawn into the dryercompartment through an inlet 22 of a heater duct 23 in which the heatingelements (not shown) are located. The heated air exits through anexhaust port 24 through rear bulkhead 19 and then. circulates throughthe perforate back 9 into the drum 11 in which the clothes are beingtumbled. The circulating air is then drawn through the back 9 throughthe back panel 19 into the inlet 26 of a blower 27 which is driven bythe motor 13 through a belt 28. The drum 11 having an imperioratecylindrical wall 8 and an imperforate front wall 7 provides an enclosedtreatment chamber. The hinged access door 16 provides closure means forthe opening 6 in the front wall 7 and the rear bulkhead 19 provides anenclosure for the perforated drum back 9.

The outlet -of the blower 27 is directed into a filter inlet duct 29located in the lint accumulator cavity 21. The inlet duct 29 has areduced diameter outlet 31 which provides the air being blown throughthe inlet duct with a relatively high velocity. This lint-laden air isthen directed through an air permeable bag 33 composed of paper, fabricor other suitable material which oi`rers very little resistance to theair flow but constitutes a trap for the particles of lint which arecarried in the airstream. The bag 33 as shown in dotted outline inFIGURE 3 is positioned with its throat communicating with the inlet duct29.

A seal for the lint accumulator cavity 21 is provided by a hinged top 37hinged by hinges 40 on whose face there is a layer of a foamed plasticinsulating material 38 composed of foamed polyurethane, polystyrene,polyvinyl chloride, or any of the foamed resins which provide thermalinsulation and resilient sealing with the upward flange 30 of housing17. The top flange of the front vertical wall 15 is provided with springclips 45 to furnish means for selectively securing the top in the closedposition. The insulating blanket provided by the foam layer 38 hasspacers 39 positioned therealong which engage the bag 33 when the cover37 is closed, as illustrated in FIGURE 4. These spacers 39 press down onthe bag 33 and pro- 0 vide air `circulating spaces between the spacers39, such After the ltered air has left the interior of the bag 33, it isexhausted through an exhaust manifold 4Z positioned to the rear of thelint accumulator cavity Zll. The air is then discharged from the cabinetthrough an exhaust conduit 43 located at the rear of the machine.

Since the bag 33 can be made almost as large as the Width of thecabinet, it has a substantial capacity for holding lint recovered fromthe exhaust stream of the dryer. Initially, the lint is forced to theextreme end of the bag and as more lint is accumulated, the highvelocity of the lint in the air stream causes it to pack along the Wallsof the bag. It is then a simple matter to remove the bag 33 after it hasbecome substantially clogged simply by raising the cover 37 andreplacing the bag 33.

From the foregoing, it Will be evident that the lint accumulatorassembly of the present invention provides several advantages over otherassemblies which have been used for the same purpose. For one, thecapacity of the bag can be substantially larger than the capacity ofordinary lint traps which means that the dryer can be run for longerperiods of time Without interruption due to excessive lint accumulation.Then, too, removal of the accumulated lint is rendered much moreconvenient than it is with present day lint accumulators.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effectedwithout departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the presentinvention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are dcned as follows:

1. In a dryer,

compartment means forming a treatment zone,

a normally sealed lter chamber coextensively overlying said treatmentZone,

-a cabinet enclosing said compartment means and said chamber andincluding a top panel forming the top Wall of said sealed chamber,

an air system for said dryer including duct means cornmunicating withsaid treatment Zone and having an inlet opening into one side of saidchamber to direct all air from the treatment zone through said charnber,

a filter bag connected to said inlet opening, said bag being sized forsubstantially illing said chamber and extending over the entire top ofthe treatment Zone and having Walls through which the air passes foryseparation of lint from the air and an exhaust outlet opening inanother side of said chamber through which filtered air is discharged,

said top panel having a linear on the interior surface formed withspaced projections engaging the filter bag to enhance the air flowtherethrough and minimizing temperature increase of said top panel.

2. In a dryer as defined in claim 1, said top panel having hinge meansconnecting said top panel to said cabinet,

and said liner being made of a material t0 form a seal with said cabinetwhen said top panel is in closed position.

3. In a dryer as defined in claim 1, hinge means connecting said toppanel to said cabinet to afford access to said chamber.

4. A dryer assembly comprising a cabinet,

a cover hingedly secured to said cabinet,

a dryer drum supported for rotation within said cabinet,

housing means in said cabinet superadjacent said drum providing a lintaccumulation cavity,

an air-pervious lint accumulator bag disposed in said cavity andextending over the entire top of the drum, an insulating blanket securedto said cover and providing a seal for said cavity when said cover isclosed, said insulating blanket having spacers thereon positioned toabut said bag and provide air circulating spaces therebetween,

an inlet duct in said cavity arranged to direct a lint laden airstreaminto said accumulator bag,

and an outlet means in said cavity arranged to direct air passingthrough said bag out of said cabinet.

5. The dryer assembly of claim 4 in which said blanket is composed `of aroamed plastic material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,486,058 10/1949 Patterson et al34-82 2,651,113 9/1953 Milby et al 34-82 2,681,513 6/1954 Fowler 34-822,735,507 2/1956 Vogel 34-82 2,776,826 1/1957 Bennett et al. 34-822,827,276 3/1958 Racheter 34-82 FOREIGN PATENTS 208,330 6/ 1955Australia.

MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Primary Examiner.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Examiner.

B. L. ADAMS, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A DRYER, COMPARTMENT MEANS FORMING A TREATMENT ZONE, A NORMALLYSEALED FILTER CHAMBER COEXTENSIVELY OVERLYING SAID TREATMENT ZONE, ACABINET ENCLOSING SAID COMPARTMENT MEANS AND SAID CHAMBER AND INCLUDINGA TOP PANEL FORMING THE TOP WALL OF SAID SEALED CHAMBER, AN AIR SYSTEMFOR SAID DRYER INCLUDING DUCT MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID TREATMENTZONE AND HAVING AN INLET OPENING INTO ONE SIDE OF SAID CHAMBER TO DIRECTALL AIR ROM THE TREATMENT ZONE THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, A FILTER BAGCONNECTED TO SAID INLET OPENING, SAID BAG BEING SIZED FOR SUBSTANTIALLYFILLING SAID CHAMBER AND EXTENDING OVER THE ENTIRE TOP OF THE TREATMENTZONE AND HAVING WALLS THROUGH WHICH THE AIR PASSES FOR SEPARATION OFLINT FROM THE AIR AND AN EXHAUST OUTLET OPENING IN ANOTHER SIDE OF SAIDCHAMBER THROUGH WHICH FILTERED AIR IS DISCHARGED, SAID TOP PANEL HAVINGA LINEAR ON THE INTERIOR SURFACE FORMED WITH SPACED PROJECTIONS ENGAGINGTHE FILTER BAG TO ENHANCE THE AIR FLOW THERETHROUGH AND MINIMIZINGTEMPERATURE INCREASE OF SAID TOP PANEL.